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Story:Beyond the Stone Ring
Beyond the Stone Ring is a story chronicling the Altusian Brotherhood's discovery of a lost world once belonging to the powerful civilization know to the galaxy as the Omni. Upon their arrival, they find more than just ruins: Something sinister, an ancient secret is locked in the capital city and the planet may not be completely abandoned... A Walk with Infra "Go! They've broken through the primary defenses... run!" Running through a long decorated corridor, a group of hooded men in crimson robes were engaged in a firefight with an unseen enemy. "We can't hold them back! We have to keep moving!" Upon reaching a large, circular, cobblestone plaza, a nearby urn shattered as an energy blast made contact with it and the sounds of gunfire and bizarre, distorted screams echoed throughout the miniature battlefield. One of the group ducked behind a statue and drew a gun. He removed his hood, revealing himself to be a Vaikan. "Kairen! Where's the leader!?" he cried to the man nearest to him. 'I don't know!' replied Kairen. Kairen jumped to his side as one of his comrades keeled over. He had been shot in the chest, leaving a massive smouldering gash. Another quickly followed. Kairen winced at the sight of it and turned back to too his living comrade. 'We have to retreat!' he cried. 'We can't fight them. Not here!' 'Agreed. Let's go!' said the other. After a quick glance at the bodies of his comrades, he and his surviving ally fled to the nearest exit. They arrived at a large, torn-open gate barely hanging on it's hinges. On the other side was another lush courtyard with signs of battle damage and was dominated by a large boulder. The enemy appeared not to have followed them. 'Alright.' said Kairen. 'We have to get back to master Inf...' At that precise moment, a tremor struck, levelling what was left of the decorations around the square. The two men turned around to a hideous, yet somehow awe-inspiring sight: What they once thought was a large boulder started contorting and seemed to expand. It revealed itself as a lifeform; an immense, golden-skinned cephalopodal mess of a creature with six long, bulky arms and dozens of long-winding tentacles, seemingly wrapped around a metallic frame. Kairen tried firing his weapon, to no effect. The abomination lifted one of it's tree-like appendages and swatted Kairen to one side, killing him instantly. His companion didn't make the same mistake: He ran, as fast as he could before he rounded corner and encountered a dead end. The gargantuan rounded the corner before the runner had a chance to react. The behemoth raised a spike-covered tentacle and released a low pitch groan. The Vaikan could not save himself, he had nowhere to run, no means to fight the leviathan that stood before him. All he could do was stand there and await the final blow. It did not come. Instead, he felt a blast of energy hit him, square in the chest. His vision was blurred but he could still see the silhouetted form of a tall humanoid approaching him. It knelt down next to him. It was another male Vaikan, albeit he was taller and burlier than the others. His skin was much paler aswell. "Master?" he said, struggling to remain conscious. "Nice try, Ahrganot." replied Infra, standing up straight. "But worry not, we still have a use for you." Ahrganot tried to get up, but to no avail. He heard the sounds of Infra, the master he once served loyally, walking away, abandoning him. He then heard hissing. Violent, low-pitched hissing. Two decrepit-looking figures approached him and he reached for his gun, but was halted when he felt a massive wait press down on his wrist. He looked in it's direction and saw an elongated, taloned foot, crushing his arm, threatening to brake it. Finally, with anguished breath, he blacked out. ---- The double doors at the back of a large room cluttered with monitors and other assorted machinery creaked opened. A tall, cloaked figure walked into the crimson-carpeted room, holding some kind of data pad. In the room there were two Vaikan dressed in similar clothing. One of them knelt before the figure, the other quickly followed. The figure looked from the data pad to the Vaikan that had knelt first. "Now, now," came a high, bone-chilling voice. "There's no need for groveling at the moment. I have a task for you, Umbra." he took a step forward and extended the pad to Umbra. "I would like to examine this cipher module we recovered. You are our expert in Omni ruins, are you not?" "Yes, my lord, Infra." Umbra replied. "I will examine it, immediately, every little detail and I shall not fail by the will of my..." the cloaked figure raised a hand, prompting Umbra to silence himself. It wasn't like Infra, leader of the Altusian Brotherhood, the self-proclaimed Messiah of the Vaikan, to deliver items directly. He would always have an emissary for such mundane tasks and labors. What could be so important about the module that would prompt such action? "And you, Ahrganot," he said, turning to the other knelt Vaikan. "...walk with me." "Master?" "I believe we have yet to... come to know each other. Do you not agree?" Ahrganot's hearts pounded harder and harder. Though he hid his emotion as all Vaikan do, it would not take a psychiatrist to know that to him Infra was rather... disturbing. His mere presence caused Ahrganot to feel almost physically ill and even inspired that most basic emotion to all life, the one that Ahrganot thought he had learned to suppress: fear. With the severity of the consequences of many of Infra's orders, it was understandable. When they had exited the room, leaving Umbra to scurry around trying to translate the module, Ahrganot felt a fresh, cold wave of dread come over him as, out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Infra's gaze had fallen upon him again. "Tell me, Ahrganot. What do you think of Brother Umbra?" he inquired in a less intimidating tone. "He is certainly eager to serve, master." said Ahrganot. "But his eagerness can, at times, become an annoyance." "Indeed. I have noticed this." said Infra. He rolled his eyes upwards and then turned back to Ahrganot. "Do you, my young servant, have absolute faith in Vernietigen and the prophet Sidian? I can see your eyes, that you have doubt." Ahrganot dropped his head down to the side. "You speak of them often, but I still find myself lost as to who they are, the latter in-particular." "Ah yes," said Infra. "I have not been very open on the subject. Vernietigen, was a deity once worshiped by the Omni, a protector and father to them, one that assured their safety and nurtured their civilization to one of legendary proportions and advancement! During times of desperation, the Divine One would bring about miracles, amazing feats that our science cannot and may never be able to explain. In a particularly desperate time, the people of the Omni found themselves in conflict with an enemy they could not defeat by themselves. Their faith dwindled, prompting the Divine One to reveal a prophet, Sidian, to them." Walking under an arch, Infra looked up. Skizgo followed his gaze and saw, etched into the white, pristine, marble-like stone blocks of about a emter in length, were hieroglyphs that he recognised as Omni, with a glyth at the centre representing what seemed to be two colossal molluscs or cephalopoda flanking a crudely draw rendition of a humanoid creature with a tale, a large head and red eyes that stood only a few feet taller than the omni represented, most of which were on their knees bowing. "What could one prophet do to help them win a war with such an enemy?" asked Ahrganot, skeptically. "Not alone, was the prophet..." said Infra with an air of frustration. "He brought with him an army, an allegedly invincible army: the Gomodd..." By now they had reached a statue that had caught Ahrganot's eye many times before, but he had never truly understood what it represented. Infra layed his hand on the circa eight foot tall statue and continued: "With them at his side, Sidian, on the orders of Vernietigen, laid waste to the seemingly indomitable enemy that had presented itself! The people of the Omni rejoiced in victory, their faith in the Divine One was restored. Their civilization would prosper for many more centuries under the watchful eye of their god and their prophet... and his relentless army. Now, to reiterate... do you have faith in them, as you so claim?" Ahrganot looked from the red, form of Infra's cloak to the tall, faceless statue. In truth, he questioned Infra deeply, by a little voice in his head, kicked at the back of his mind, and so he replied with: "You tell a compelling story... if you say it is so, I believe you, master." said Ahrganot, avoiding Infra's gaze. "You must truly believe it for yourself, then Vernietigen will come to you." Infra said. His words did not lower Ahrganot's tension in the least. "Come, this way, Ahrganot. To the viewing deck..." They walked past winding, chrome corridors, and into a rather large domed room. Before them was a screen like a great window. A verdant green starry background was before them as well as a strange toroid object floating within the void. Ahrganot stared blankly at it. It was a large object with the proportions of a small satellite, with a mix of organic and artificial characteristics, a surface resembling that of a planet and spires and structures that could only have been built by beings of unthinkable size. "What is that?" Ahrganot asked. He felt a shiver run down his spine when he felt Infra's gaze fall upon him again. "It is a Stone Ring." said Infra. "A great gate to the Holy Land, the one promised to us by the civilizations that came before us. By word of the master's great prophet and general, there are a race of immense mechanical lifeforms, Sentinels, that stand guard over it, so we cannot enter yet. Vernietigen shall judge us once we earn his trust from reciting the sacred scripts, contained in the module upon that gate. There are other gates like this one, but this one, according to our findings, is the one that will lead us to eternal salvation." "What are these "sacred texts" and what do they speak of?" For the first time, Infra seemed unsure of himself. After a second of silence that Ahrganot's tension stretched into a long, cold moment of waiting and anticipating, Infra finally replied: "Sidian's own words... the gospel of Vernietigen... the evangelicals of the Omni's great guardians." "I see... and what exactly do you expect we'll find beyond this gate? Treasure, technology... weapons?" "Not only that. We will attain a means to spread His word. The days of eternal peace and prosperity. Once we go through that gate, we'll have it all. We are Vernietigen's chosen people. We must travel beyond the Stone Ring." Fables. Legends, myths... that was all Ahrganot felt these were. For the next few weeks, he would study more of the Omni's culture, religion and myth, pressed tightly to do so under Infra's yoltoxian gaze. His influence, his voice, his face... all of it was wrong to Ahrganot, just wrong. But he began to slip. As he studied more and more, his thoughts became clouded, and his preconceptions softened. He asks for no more than absolute devotion to Him, his Prophet and solid faith in his gospel. Avimah! By the end of the month, he could barely think of anything else beyond his studies, feeling more and more enthralled by them. "Sidian"'s name echoed through his mind, buzzing around in his brain like an enraged batra clawing and biting at any negative sentiments towards him, his master, his armies, his story, his so-called gospel... even his opinions in regard to Infra became painful to think about. No army was there who could stand in the way of the glorious Prophet's crusade. Avimah! Eventually his "dreams" came to relate exclusively to the gospel of Vernietigen and all else related to it; the glory of serving him; profane thoughts, lust and desires that would come to fruition with such power, ones that would perplex, frighten and even sicken the most well-trained Vaikan. Many nights, his mind would be assaulted by night terrors. Those who stood against him... their crops would die, their women would cease to lay, their buildings would crumble, until only their minds were left. But these too would come to be of the Great One. Avimah! Waking up in shock, there would be nights when all of Skizgo's senses would be bombarded by dreadful sensations, detailing the gruesome consequences of what would happen if he betrayed Vernietigen's cause. Deprived of sleep, his mind began to fall apart, he became trapped, held prisoner by his own beliefs. Like a zombie, he would only study the gospel, listen to Infra's sermons and dwell on the greatness of his new God. The name Krayhan was all but forced out of his mind. Thinking of it would cause him pain, or he simply would be unable to remember it. Strangely, the name of Morduin stayed firmly with him, merely becoming synonymous with the name Sidian. Praised be the Prophet, who in the goodness of his hearts, heard Vernietigen's words across the great void between galaxies, and came to ours so he may lead us to victory against the heathen. Avimah! After many, many days of exhausting research, prayer, and agony brought forth from his sleep deprived state, Ahrganot soon began to realise he was not the only one to feel this way. Many of his fellow brothers began to succumb to the same feelings and symptoms. But then their came a day when Ahrganot could no longer deny something was terribly wrong with him. Those who share not the faith, infidels who speak against Him... are vhalk! And so a vhalk must be silenced, so too shall those who dare to speak against Him! Avimah! Walking down the corridor outside his room, Skizgo overheard a moaning from the next room. Looking in through the veil covering the door he saw Infra, a female Vaikan and a Brother, little older, it seemed, than a child, who he knew as Hyren. Infra held him as the woman who Ahrganot knew to be his mother, picked up a long, decorated knife from a nearby table. Infra began speaking in what his student had come to know as the language of the Omni, talking of how the youngen had committed the sin of speaking out against Vernitigen and how he must pay. His mother held the knife above her head and Ahrganot quickly turned away. All he heard was the sound of metal striking flesh, and an anguished moan. Looking back into his room, he saw the woman standing above the lifeless husk that was once Hyren, blood on her hands and clothes. She knelt down and began to stab him multiple times, crying and shouting of how his sins of disbelief had earned him a far worse fate. Above them loomed Infra, smiling. Ahrganot never had felt hatred let alone hatred this strong before, but what made it even more wrong was that it was not directed at Infra, but at Hyren. Children of Vernietigen, be patient with those who have not yet seen His light. Praise those who do. Hate those who will not. Destroy those those who speak against Him! Avimah! Hyren's disbelief, in the student's eyes was a true sin, and that he deserved all this and more. He walked away from the threshold of the room, hearing only the woman's hysterical screams, shaming her dead son. This young woman he had talked to on several occasions, he knew she would never do such a thing as to take a life without reason, let alone that of her own child. Once again, dwelling on the negative for too long caused mental and as of this day, physical pain. After seven exhausting weeks, Umbra had made a breakthrough with the translation and seemed only keen, excited even, to show his findings to Infra. But Ahrganot knew that there was more to the "ciphers" than he, or maybe even Infra knew. He knew that, after studying several manuscripts on the stone rings, that the Sentinels may still be there, waiting for them, and that if they were wrong in decoding the translations, being unable to access the ring would be the least of their worries. But, for all their security precautions and remoteness, they did not considered that something other than "their God" might be watching them... ---- "Fascinating." In a small, dark room in a forgotten building, on a planet that had long since faded into obscurity, in a galaxy that no one outside it remembered, in a tiny, insignificant corner of the universe, a single shadowy figure sat in a simple, metallic chair, alone. "There are many things to admire about the universe... things to fear." A deep, sickeningly poisonous voice resonated throughout the chamber, directed no-one in particular. Then a sound came into being, uttered by what one might call an "ethereal voice" or... a "celestial echo" of some sort. Whatever it was, it was not a true word said. No small-minded, closed-off, biased mortal would be able to bring meaning to such a sound. The thing that sat "alone" in the room, however, recognised it not as a bizarre sonic anomaly, rather it could find structure in the sound, order in chaos, enough to classify it: in a dead language lost to time, the sound signified agreement. In a single word: "Indeed." The figure, an abhorring mass of shadowy, oily darkness with two spectral-white orbs floating near it's summit, stood up from the share to reveal a vaguely humanoid form, as tall and stern as a Karnasaur, if not taller. It moved fluidly, it's form settling into a solid shape when it had fully erected itself. Upon taloned toes at the end of long metatarsals affixed to bulky legs stood a seemingly mechanical creature wreathed in oily black tendrils that ignored gravity, and receded into the entity's body. Save an extensive, limb-like tendril that a layman might erroneously call a tail protruding downwards from the lower back. This strange thing was covered from the crown of it's cobra-like head to the tip of its back-mounted tendril and toes in heavy armour, black as the stellar void. The armour was etched with symbols that glowed white in tune with its large, frightening yet intriguing white eyes. In the centre of the creature's chest was a glowing red light, emanating from a crystal fixed into the plate, surrounded by veins that ran through the breaks between armour plates. "And yet... the young civilizations of this galaxy explore it, conquer it... they try to harness it, regardless of what they may find. Their children being sent off by governments that could not possibly speak for all of its people to risk their lives in the unknown. They feel fear, in some way, shape or form. But still... they go against instinct. They too are plagued by it." Another sound echoed throughout the space within the room. This was a sound representing confusion. The occupant of the room grinned and clarified: "Sentience. Individuality. Free will. All of these things together. As long as there are two creatures left alive on a planet, they will end up trying to kill and/or consume each other, or dying alone without their "friend that they could not kill"'s company, either because they had died before them or foolishly given themselves up for their comrade, despite the inevitability of their fate." Again, the chorus of sounds chimed throughout space within the room. This time it was more complex, a sentence. Frustration. Perhaps it could be translated to something along the lines of "Go on." "When animals the likes of these try to build a civilization, its fall is inevitable. Fear, mistrust, jealousy, the need for power the impotent feel, the lust... all tear it apart." A slithering grunt left the shadowy form, that by now could be seen in full. The biochemical serpentine beast of a man stood in the middle of the room. It was a circular room with no visible ceiling. The sole occupant of the room looked upwards. And there it was. Light, shadow, colour, energy... none of these could define the form held by the apparition high-above. It was caged by the frame of a colossal cube, cables and metal protruding from the anomaly and inter-connecting like veins. It was hideous and yet so elegant in it's design. The same oily blackness that had obscured the vaguely humanoid creature from sight fell like mist to the ground, warping, twisting and fluctuating. Blue light emanated from the beautiful abomination of science that crackled, shone and thundered like the surface of a Class O Blue Giant star. "And so..." ''the physical (or seemingly so) occupant of the room muttered, waving its hand, producing a flask of bubbling, neon-green "liquid". He (one would use the term hesitantly) twisted the top off, making an audible pop, followed by some kind of ghostly moaning. He downed the contents of the flask in one go, glowing green gas flowing from his "snout". ''"We started to think. Ponder and consider solution after solution to the "Individuality Paradox", as we call it. Extermination was the first thought to come to mind, but then something else became apparent. That would be too 'boring. So we asked ourselves: How do you resolve a problem with somethin like free will. Simple! We remove it. A far more interesting challenge, wouldn't you agree?"'' The unfathomable monstrosity of light and shadow roared in agreement. The beast bellow's face contorted into a smile that would unsettle the sturdiest of warriors. He raised an arm to the ceiling, stretching his hand open and proclaimed: ''"Then... ''So be it."'' The room collapsed into that same oily blackness. The former occupant of the room that no longer existed, lowered his hand to his chest and exhaled deeply, closing his eyes and stepping forward. He came to a balcony, looking over another circular room, with a mountainous diameter and distance between it's ceiling and it's floor, hundreds of thousands of tall canisters adorning it's walls. "As was said. These so-called, civilized creatures go against their instincts. Against their very nature. To go against one's nature is to bring one's self below the rest of their kind. An abomination that must be purged." All of the canisters flared to life, releasing high-pressure bursts of gas and the creaking of hinges that had not moved for what must have been a short eternity could be heard. The bizarre sounds made by the anomaly that had been communicating with the so-called man in that lost room echoed around them. "After millenia of patience and waiting, our liberation is finally at hand." From the musky, steam-filled darkness within the canisters, sinister whispers and droning echoed throughout the immense chamber. There was stillness, icy stillness so cold that it would burn skin, spreading throughout the elephantine chamber originating from within the larger canisters. And then there was movement. Subtle, awkward, as though the occupants of these small, cold, dark, forsaken spaces had just awoken from a long, deep sleep. The overseer on the balcony above grinned and thought aloud. "We shall show the foolish occupants of this new world why they should still fear the unknown..." The wall of darkness within one of the canisters was breached by a grim hand. Biomechanical in appearance, it fumbled around and grasped the canister opening's frame. The "skin" or whatever the mesh-like substance that coated the hand shone in what little light there was. Three fingers, long, sharp yet bulky dented the metal frame with a small increase in the strength of the gruesome appendage's grip. Mechanical whirring, stuttering gave way to deep groaning as a figure pulled its way out of its former cell. It lifted what one would assume to be its head upwards to look at the overseer, then to the ceiling. Many more left their cells, standing on small platforms connected to them. "I do anticipate: this is going to be '''fun."'' The last sentence was uttered in a terrifyingly gleeful tone, the final word dripping with poisonous and sadistic glee. And after it, there was a cold, rhythmic series of sharp bursts of air. Laughter, malicious yet so very genuine. Far below, in the darkest depths of the chamber, the cold air and dust gathered over countless years was displaced by masses far greater than any of the monstrosities above. Ever larger, ever more active and louder, the movement below sent reverberations throughout the building. And all the while, the laughter persisted. Deeper and deeper, the moving objects became larger and the sounds grew more and more dreadful. Lower still, light and shadows danced around in a spherical pattern around a spherical mesh, that gradually began to move. More laughter, deeper and raspier as the light began to glow more intensely. ---- "What?" asked Umbra. Arghanot snapped out of his trance and glanced sideways at his comrade. He had been holding the cypher in his hands for the past minute. He vaguely remembered seeing vague images and movement, accompanied by sounds that shook his very foundations. That horrible smile, the metallic screaming, the shuddering of his entire body. This was the most intense it had been in all of his time. Was it just an illusion caused by sleep deprivation? Were his dreams mere hallucinations? Were the... things that appeared in them creations of his own imagination? They scared him, something not even the most imposing of monsters could do. Nothing, no one could scare him like this... other than Infra. "Nothing. Has the calibration been completed?" "Yes." "Very well. I shall inform Lord Inf-." "No need, Arghanot." That dread crashed back into Arghanot like an asteroid. Behind him stood that thing in the skin of a Vaikan that called itself "The Shepherd". It was abhorrent to Skizgo, he wanted to destroy it. But both subconscious and waking self told him not to, forcing the urge back and directed it to other territories within his mind as to continue his work. Within a moment the nagging feeling of pain was burnt away by the even more vicious sense of adoration and trust. "Are we prepared?" Looking back at Umbra, who made a small click in the back of his throat, a sign of agreement among the brothers, Arghanot looked straight into the infernal red eyes of The Shepherd and confirmed as well. The neutral expression on his face betrayed no emotion. Infra simply turned around and walked away, humming a chant to himself. Within the hour, all of the Brotherhood, bar those who wished to stay behind, were aboard a small craft that had begun to power up by the time Arghanot was seated. He shifted his gaze to Infra who returned it with one that carried a question with it: "Is it done?" Arghanot replied with another click at the back of his throat. He ignored everything else his body said, the screaming need for him to tell someone what he had done, to right an as-of-yet not-done wrong. They were two hundred thousand kilometres away from the station when Arghonot lifted his wrist, a round crystal glowing a greenish-blue embedded into it. He inhaled deeply, and pushed the button on the out breath. He looked back once at his handiwork: a smoldering debris fieled where once was a station, littered with the corpses of those Infra deemed unworthy. There were forty five thousand Vaikan in the convoy en route to the stone ring. There were two hundred thousand, awaiting their return, that had yet to leave the station. All Arghonot could do was sit back. And smile. The Stone Watchmen await In the shadow of a large moon, orbiting a planet lying far beyond the reach of civilized space, a single shuttle floated aimlessly among debris and stars. Small, compact, no markings... Most likely a smuggler ship. In the cockpit, a single, farely young male Eteno pilot sat at the controls with a very sour expression of pure, unadulterated boredom and the tell-tale signs of long-term sleep deprivation etched across his features. Given the size of the ship, he was surely the only crew, which meant he not only had to pilot the thing, but was stuck with every other duty aswell. Captaining a ship may seem like a cool idea at first, but there are many responsibilities, even more if you're the only member of the crew. The weary little amphibian, more at home on land then in space by a long stretch, monitored the ship's system (engines, life support, radar, orbit, etc. etc. ad infinitum) through half-lidded eyes. He was being paid what, 320% of his weekly earnings? After a few weeks of non-stop flying, avoiding patrols and rivals, at least one space-dwelling lifeform that intended to make a meal out of the ship on top of several system failures (he let out a little shudder upon recalling the period in which the waste management system was damaged and tended to backfire. Frequently. Most of the time redirecting into the cockpit...), that check was seeming less and less and less worthwhile. He got up and brushed of some crumbs that were stuck to his blue leather uniform and got down from main control chair, trying to keep clear of a puddle that he was not in the mood to step in and made his way to the cargo bay. He stood in the threshold were once was a door that now kept sealed a hull breach caused by some jackass trying to blow the ship appart, probably to see if there was anything valuable on board. In the hold was a small, makeshift laboratory that one might assume was actually a poorly maintained janitor's closet. The pilot sighed and started to trudge into the mess of ancient analytical equipment and assorted electronic devices and found his passenger, a tall Vaikan wearing a leather longcoat and green garmets that looked stiched together. He was a mess, covered in grime and dirt, more dirt and had a few patches of his coat waisted away by chemicals. Then again, he was living in a mess of tangled wires, machine oil and other... things the pilot could only recognised as something he would have prefered not to. "Vhat's der situation?" he asked, smirking at the destinee as he hit his head off of a metal bar sticking out from a pile as he got up, slightly startled by the sudden appearance of another in his workspace. "Gah. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I did not want to be disturbed?" asked the Vaikan, rubbing his head and standing up. He towered over the pilot and was rather gaunt. He had those "as standard" red eyes aswell, always a tad unnerving. "Vell, you could alvays use der lav'tory." "Why would I use the lavatory for complex research when I have a much larger space in here?" "Vasn't research I vas talkin' 'bout." "Your priorities and mine are obviously quite different then, Mr. Dreimr." Dreimr smirked again. He liked this guy, nowhere near as stuck up and stoic as Vaikan usually are. He sighed and walked over to the clearing where his passenger had been studying a small orb. A perfect green sphere was surrounded by intricately woven metalwork. It was unremarkable in most aspects beyond the finely detailed etchings and radiant glow it produced. And the fact that it was floating in mid air. He recalled a week ago when his client, who he assumed to be some sort of professor, had activated the device. It was in the bay, after an hour or so of intensive study (i.e. picking out buttons embedded in the metalwork and pushing them randomly) the sphere sprang to life and started hovering in a straight line until it hit a wall. It turned out to be something along the lines of a compass: it was always moving towards a specific set of coordinates. However, too late did they realize the sphere would be pulling them along aswell, and so they were forced to follow it to it's destination, matching it's speed and tragectory in order to avoid the very persistent artifact punching a hole in ship amd possibly squashing them agaunst the bulkheads under the stress of the orb's constant advance and fierce gravitational pull. And it just so happened to lead them to the exact point in space where the ship now held position. While the general location they found themselves trapped in had no immediately discernable uniqueness, beyond the fact that it was home to, and a metaphorical stone's throw away from another, far larger paleotechnological artifact. The artifact in question was what appeared to be an asteroid of highly unusual composition, but was later found to be the lifeless husk of an immense automaton, though massive damages and the wrath of time had long since ravaged it, making it resemble a giant mess of stone and metal. The professor grumbled and turned back to his work table. The sphere was maintaining a perfect orbit now and apparently had started speaking. Dreimr, being a realist, advized taking a high-calliber phaser bolt to it when this became apparent. His client, however, assured him it was harmless. After another few tweaks, the Vaikan stood up and spoke directly to it. "Avimah." S-s-soM-m-maKaTaaaaMaaaa- *system protocol not found* -a. So.niquea jin odda *bridge function disabled* kiin. Ma.hetemisa xan hamma. Ka.to imna soi tinneee- *variable missing*. Ta.ikaizen mino aska re. Ma.nimaski kiojo-o-o- "Bilae, kasso ima!" *system recovery mode activated* M-m-multiling-ing-ing-ual int-t-t-terface online. "Finally..." Coordinating... Error: UPS system update required. Updating... Error: Unable to open MIE (Metatech Information Exchange) Network. Retrieving new version from retailer. Retrieving... Error: Unable to connect to database. Troubleshooting... Information: This process may take up to- "Halt process..." Process Halted. Awaiting further input. "Very good. Now... do you know where you are?" Dreimr snickered. "You're askin' zis thing qvestions, vhen it can't even c'nnect to a frielshkin netvork?" Coordinates unknow. However, this one is aware that it's location is consistent with it's previously assigned patrol point. "Ferget I zaid anything..." "Yes, well. You aware that you are a fair distance away from your charge?" "Vhat charge vould that be?" For the briefest of moments the orb was silent before responding. Indeed. This one has standing orders to *memory access denied*. "Vell das great..." "Then do you remember what your original priority was?" Standard protocol: Defend Conduit #14924A at all costs. Bar entry to all unauthorized vessels. "How does one get their ship authorized?" Only Non-standard Level 6 IFF-holding personel are permitted access to Coduits. "Non-standar' Level 6 IFF-holding personel, huh? Vere exactly vould ve get one of zose, eh?" "I believe," said the Vaikan, producind a small cypher from his coat. "this would be an IFF of the appropriate type, yes?" No. This cypher merely contains data reuired to generate an IFF. Creating an IFF appropriate to a specific stone gate requires *data redacted* in addition to the Conduit in question's identification code. "That code being #14924A." Correct. "Excellent." said the Vaikan, a grin coming to his ancient and dicrepit face. This got Dreimr a little on edge, and left the Eteno pilot with an inkling of dread whenever he saw a smile like that, as most sane living being would probably feel aswell. "Hey, er, vhat's yer name again? Altus? I'ma need t'go check on ze ship's systems. Call m'if ye-" "-Actually, Mr. Dreimr. I do need to ask you something important." said "Altus" turning and locking eyes with Dreimr, the latter of whom was suddenly overcome with an urge to run, but also to stay put. "Y-y-yeah?" "Do you trust me?" "C-can' say I don', but can' say-" "Do you trust your own judgement?" His own judgement? What was this nut job on about? After a second he simply replied "Yes". "Then, I'm going to ask you to pull out the pistol you keep concealed in your left thigh-pad, and hand it to me." Ok, now this was getting scary. Firstly, how did this guy know about the gun and where it was kept? Secondly, did he seriously expect Dreimr to- wait, why did he just hand over the gun!? Altus toyed with it for a moment and then tossed it aside before turning around and locking gazes once more with the now-shaken pilot. ---- Category:Tandem stories Category:Articles by User:Pschycron Category:Articles by User:Krayfish Category:Chaos Crisis stories Category:Stories